Seatrade Cruise Connection

June 2006

First-Time Exhibitors Came With High Expectations

Deciding to exhibit at the world’s largest cruise industry trade show is a major commitment of time and resources, and is not a decision made lightly. Behind it is a serious commitment to breaking into a new industry or expanding in an industry where your company has a toehold.

Lantal Textiles Inc. falls into the first group. Andrew McEachern, cruise sales manager, explains how his company, which makes interior fabrics and bedding, came to exhibit at the Seatrade Convention.

“Last year I walked the show and I was very impressed with the variety of suppliers and designers, and felt this would make an excellent match for our product line,” said McEachern. “If you have a product to sell to the cruise industry, then this show is a must. The leads and contacts made are beyond valuable, and will serve you well for years to come.”

On the other hand there is Lea Machine Services Inc., which delivers fire extinguishers and safety equipment to marine customers operating out of South Florida ports, and is looking to get into the cruise business.

“We have been working with some cruise lines for a few years, but

our main customers have been in the cargo ship and offshore market,” said Toralf Lea Jr., the company’s president. “We would now focus more on the cruise lines as we see this as an interesting area to work with.

“By participating in the exhibition we hope to meet and develop new customer relationships as well as meet our already well-established customers and show them new products and services,” he added.

Jari Lahtinen, export manager for interior lighting systems supplier Teknoware Oy, sees the convention as an opportunity to expand his existing market.

“We are a supplier to shipyards and ship owners of exit-route lighting and low-location lighting throughout the world,” said Lahtinen. “A big part of our projects for marine have been for cruise ships sailing on the Caribbean Sea. We are linked to the service part of the business as well, and want to introduce ourselves more to the American market.”

For still othercompanies, the trade show provides a means of efficiently educating current and potential customers about one’s complete product line. Tableware supplier Fortessa Inc. is one of those.

“The cruise line segment is an important and growing market for our company,” said Scott Hamberger, vice president. “We're serving most of the major lines in the industry with our products and we want to ensure that the attendees of the show have a complete picture of what we offer.”